S36A

The New York State Senate passed legislation strengthening the state's telehealth shield law for abortion providers, with a vote of 40-19. Senate Print 36A, sponsored by Sen. Mayer, amends the Education Law to allow licensed New York providers prescribing medication abortion via telehealth to use their practice name instead of their personal name on drug labels for mifepristone and misoprostol. The measure provides an additional layer of protection for doctors facing increased legal risks from states with abortion bans that seek to enforce restrictions outside their borders. Since the 2022 Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, New York has emerged as a hub for telehealth abortion access, with an estimated one in 10 abortions nationwide now administered through pills prescribed via telehealth to patients in states with abortion restrictions. The state passed initial telehealth protections in 2023, which have enabled New York doctors to send thousands of abortion pills monthly to women in hostile states. Nineteen senators voted against the measure.